BrainPOP Science Key Terms
Types of Rock
IGNEOUS ROCK: Rocks formed by the cooling and solidifying of molten materials. Igneous rocks can form beneath the
Earth’s surface, or at its surface, as lava
MAGMA: Molten material beneath or within the earth’s crust. From which igneous rock is formed
MOLTEN: Liquefied by heat; in a state of fusion; melted
LAVA: The molten, fluid rock that issues from a volcano or volcanic vent
METAMORPHOSIS: a form resulting from any such change
SEDIMENT: mineral or organic matter deposited by water, air, or ice
ALIGN: to arrange in a straight line; adjust according to a line
ERODE: To eat into or away; destroy by slow consumption or disintegration
The Rock Cycle
IGNEOUS: Produced under conditions involving intense heat, as rock of volcanic origin or rock crystallized from molten
magma
SEDIMENTARY: or pertaining to, or the nature of sediment
METAMORPHIC: pertaining to or characterized by change of form, or metamorphosis
MAGMA: material beneath or within the earth’s crust. From which igneous rock is formed
ROCK CYCLE: the process by which rocks are formed, altered, destroyed, and reformed by geological processes and
which is recurrent, returning to a starting point
Weathering:
WEATHERING: the various mechanical and chemical processes that cause exposed rock to decompose
SEDIMENTS: mineral or organic matter deposited by water, air, or ice
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS: Rock that has formed through the deposition and solidification of sediment
MECHANICAL WEATHERING: the erosion or breakdown of rock into smaller fragments by natural physical agents with no
chemicals involved; also called disintegration
CHEMICAL WEATHERING: the breakdown of rock by chemical mechanisms
CARBONIC ACID: The acid formed when carbon dioxide dissolves in water, known in the form of its salts and esters, the
carbonates
Erosion:
EROSION: The act of state of eroding; state of being eroded
WEATHERING: the various mechanical and chemical processes that cause exposed rock to decompose
RIVER DELTA: a nearly flat plain of alluvial deposit between diverging branches of the mouth of a river, often,
though not necessarily, triangular
CANYONS: a deep valley with deep sides, often with a stream flowing through it
GLACIER: An extended mass of ice formed from snow falling and accumulating over the years and moving very slowly,
either descending from high mountains, as in valley glaciers, or moving outward from centers of accumulation, as in
continental glaciers
GLACIAL EROSION: The erosion of glaciers
Mineral Identification:
MINERAL: any substance that is neither animal nor vegetable
TRAIT: A distinguishing characteristic or quality, especially of one’s personal nature
HARDNESS: The state or quality of being hard
MOHS SCALE: a scale of hardness used in mineralogy
LUSTER: The state or quality of shining by reflecting light
STREAK (NOUN): a long, narrow mark, smear, or band of color
CLEAVAGE: The act of cleaving or splitting
FRACTURE (NOUN): a break, breach or split